Routines. Restrictive or stress-relieving?

Routine may feel further off than a trip to the moon. It may feel out of reach if your home is spinning out of orbit. Or it may feel like a ride you’d never wait in line for.

Effective routines have the power to…

Improve sleep
Improve school performance
Decrease stress–for your child and for you
Improve digestion and feeding
Increase child participation in self-care tasks

You may hear the word routine and think, “Ha! Not in my house.” Maybe you’ve tried routines in the past and they weren’t effective–or maybe they were effective but life got busy. Maybe you’ve never tried a routine with your child because you don’t think it’s beneficial.

Life is busy and sticking to a schedule is hard. But it’s worth it. Effective routines help your child know what’s next so that they are efficient with time, energy, and can better handle those big emotions.

FREE Virtual Education: Join Us on August 22, 2023

Helping Hands Therapy Services is hosting a FREE August Caregiver Chat: From Chaos to Consistency, August 22, 2023 from 7:00pm-8:00pm. Click here to join us as we learn from Marie Garrenton, MSED and Lauren Gardener, MS BCBA, LBA.

This caregiver chat will help you know how to best modify your child’s routine and will address common questions like…

Are routines helpful or restrictive for my child?
How can I help my child sleep through the night?
Do I really need to have my child sit at the table for dinner?
How can I minimize morning meltdowns before school?
What can I do to help my child transition easier between locations or activities?

Cultivating a healthy routine and sticking to it is definitely a challenge—especially in the beginning. But it’s a decision you won’t regret.

Why Routines? Motivation and Appreciation

daily routines and structure help a child self-regulate

According to the University of Michigan, Psychiatry Department of Michigan Medicine,

“children with regular routines at home have self-regulation skills, the building blocks of good mental health…Young children who learn to do this well are better able to adapt to everyday challenges, stressors, and new expectations.” (4)

Children with routines learn body awareness and emotional awareness–precursors to self-regulation skills. Routines also allow the opportunity for participation in family activities, leading to a sense of belonging and self-efficacy. Bedtime and mealtime are prime opportunities to implement routines.

The University of University of Michigan, Psychiatry Department of Michigan Medicine also states,

“many studies demonstrate the benefit of bedtime routines and dinnertime routines. Children can anchor their day according to these expected interactions with their families…children can [also] participate in these routines in meaningful ways by helping to set the table at dinnertime or choose their own book to read with a parent at bedtime.” (4)

Occupational therapists work with parents and children to optimize routines and rituals during these times for positive, effective participation.

Bedtime: The Importance of Routine for Sleep

a daily routine and bedtime routine help a child sleep better

An article(1) published by the National Library of Medicine explores evidence related to routines and their association with sleep. The article includes a study completed over the course of a year to investigate how bedtime routines and sleep quality are related.

The article states, “children whose parents…were more consistent in their daytime parenting practices and whose parents showed greater adherence to a bedtime routine …had the greatest amount of nightly sleep.” (1) In other words, the parents who practiced consistency with routines during the day and at bedtime had the most success helping their children fall asleep and sleep through the night.

An article published by the American Occupational Therapy Association cites routines as one evidence-based intervention to improve sleep in children–specifically, infants and toddlers. This includes children with autism and developmental disabilities as well as typically developing children.

“Parent training…includes…communication and sensory strategies and in setting bedtime routines based in sleep hygiene; these interventions can lead to improvements in sleep latency, bedtime resistance, sleep duration, and night waking.” (5) (Gronski, p. 2)

children have difficulty sleeping without a beditme routine

Parent training and interventions guided by a licensed occupational therapist have the potential to improve your child’s quality and duration of sleep–which means more sleep for you too. It’s important to consult with a professional to ensure your child’s individual needs are being addressed for optimal sleep habits.

Some general recommendations for improved sleep are…

Regular bedtimes and wake-up times
Bedtime routine
Reduced screen time prior to bed
Routine during the day
Exercise and physical activity during the day

good sleep hygiene and a bedtime routine helps a child sleep

A bedtime routine is helpful and may include the following…

A bath
Brushing teeth
Using the bathroom
Reading a story rather than play activities
A transitional object–a blanket or stuffed animal
Soft music and dim lights

Having a bedtime routine helps communicate to your child and their sensory system that there’s a transition coming up and now it’s time for sleep. A bedtime routine will help your child’s body and mind relax to prepare for dreamland.

Common sleep difficulties could include…

High sleep latency–the time it takes for your child to fall asleep
Inappropriate sleep duration–the amount of time your child sleeps, either too much or too little
Staying asleep–sleeping all the way through the night; this could be affected by nightmares or unmet sensory needs

If your child is experiencing sleep difficulties, please contact us to schedule a consultation. We’re here to support you and set your child up for some rock-solid sleep.

Meal Time: Consistency at the Table

children sit at the table during a mealtime routine

To table or not to table? That is the question.

Actually, it’s not. Sitting at the dinner table is culturally pliable and up for debate. Whether your family eats at a dining room table, in the living room, or outside under some oak trees, what matters most is communication of expectations.

It’s important to have a consistent space or consistent set-up that communicates to your child, “Now it’s meal time. We’re here to focus on feeding ourselves.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Routines can help children know what to expect when it is time for meals or snacks.”(3).

The CDC also recommends limiting distractions like pets, television, or other technology during mealtime to optimize focus on feeding(3). Replace these distractions with interactions with family members who are also eating, and interactions with the meal itself.

Other tips from the CDC include…

Make mealtime short (10-15 minutes)
Provide choices
Model healthy eating
Don’t force your child to eat after they’re full

a mealtime routine helps a child focus on feeding

According to the Kennedy Krieger Institute–an internationally recognized pediatric health and research center–having a consistent mealtime at the table best supports mealtime expectations (2). Additionally, the institute recommends introducing small changes and communicating expectations to your child before they happen.

Here’s a snapshot of their mealtime recommendations…

Have a consistent place and time
Have specific expectations such as finishing the main dish and drink
Make small, gradual changes
Communicate expectations and consequences prior to mealtime
Have a reward system for following the expectations
Communicate the upcoming transition ten minutes prior to moving to the table
End the high-interest activities–like t.v. or sports–ten minutes prior to the transition. You can substitute these for mild-interest, calm activities–puzzles or coloring, for example.

When a child knows what to expect, they are more likely to cooperate and participate with positive outcomes.

School: Getting Out That Door

a daily routine schedule helps a child get out the door to school

Anyone else not a morning person? Or maybe you are–good for you. Many of us don’t have that morning person resolve to get the kids out the door ten minutes early with matching socks on and a packed lunch.

But we get them to school. Yes, we do. Their hair may be sticking up a little bit on one side but what’s inside their head is more important, right?

We get them to school. That’s what counts.

According to the Department of Psychiatry at Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan, “Research shows that routines support healthy social emotional development in early childhood. In particular, children with regular routines at home have self-regulation skills, the building blocks of good mental health.” (4)

Adopting a morning routine is beneficial for getting out that door with…

Fewer, shorter meltdowns
Increased focus
More motivation–for your child and you
Prepared minds for school
Regulated emotions

Some recommendations for a school day morning routine include

Going to the bathroom
Brushing teeth and hair
Getting dressed
Making the bed
Eating breakfast
Packing lunch and backpack
Getting socks and shoes on

If your child has autism, a developmental disability, or just general difficulty with transitions, creating a visual schedule for routines may be beneficial. A visual schedule has pictures in a certain order and includes a method for checking off each item. This helps the child understand what they have completed, what is next, and when they are finished.

Helping Hands Therapy Services

We’re here to help you make the most of mornings, mealtime, and heading off to sleep. It’s our pleasure to work alongside parents and caregivers to help children grow into the beautiful people they’re meant to be.

We want them to thrive in their next season, whether it be learning to self-feed, starting school for the first time, or growing life skills to prepare for the workforce. We offer education, individual therapy, and group therapy at our Virginia Beach location and our Chesapeake location.

If you have a specific inquiry or would like to contact us to schedule an appointment, please call or email our office. For all other educational and informational exploring, please click around on our website.

You’re doing amazing! Keep up the hard work of guiding the hands that hold our tomorrow.

FREE Virtual Education: Join Us on August 22, 2023

Helping Hands Therapy Services is hosting a FREE August Caregiver Chat: From Chaos to Consistency, August 22, 2023 from 7:00pm-8:00pm. Click here to join us as we learn from Marie Garrenton, MSED and Lauren Gardener, MS BCBA, LBA.